Hair-curling cushion



Dec. 19, 1967 M. BLUNDELL 3,358,697

HAIR- CURLING CUSHION Filed July 19, 1966 FIGI.

INVENTOR MARILYN BLUNDELL United States Patent 3,358,697 HAIR-CURLING CUSHION Marilyn Blund'cll, 4718 Arnold St, RD. 4, Ballston Spa, N.Y. 12020 Filed July 19, 1966, Ser. No. 566,403 3 Claims. (Cl. 132-9) ABSTRACT OF TIE DISCLOSURE A hair-curling cushion of polyurethane which comprises a rectangular pad having a longitudinal, rectilinear slit formed therethrough which is off-set from the pads central axis and is parallel to one of its side edges. The pad cushions and accommodates interposition the users scalp and a hair strand carried under tension by a hair-curling device used with the pad. The hair strand is initially inserted through the slit which functions to maintain the hair-curling device centrally on the pad. The pad functions to take up the slack in the drying hair strand, and to mop up hair-setting solution to pre vent scalp irritation.

This invention relates to the art of hair-curling cushions.

A female utilizes hair-curling devices such as hair curlers, rollers, pincurl clips, etc. to impart a wave or curl to a strand of her hair. The wave or curl is effectuated by applying water or solution to the strand; and curling, rolling, twisting or turning the strand of hair with retention effected by the hair-curling device utilized. The concomitant problems which result from using a hair-curling device are discomfort, irritation, and malfunctioning of the hair-curling device. The female usually applies hair-curling devices to her hair just before retiring because her sleeping hours afford sufficient time for her hair to dry, thereby leaving her daytime hours free for her usual activities. Since her hair is tightly retained by the hair-curling devices, these applied haircurling devices cause the female discomfort and irritation by impinging upon her scalp. Further scalp irritation results when she utilizes a chemical solution for her hair. The hair-curling devices malfunction in the sense that the hair-curling devices are loose, or work loose when the hair dries, for the reason that it is diflicult to utilize a hair-curling device to tightly retain a strand of hair without causing unbearable discomfort to the scalp arising from the tension of the pulled strand of hair. The greater the tension under which the strand of hair is placed, the greater will be the discomfort and pain not only of the pulled hair, but also as the haircurling device imbeds itself into the scalp. Hence, the hair-curling device, as applied, must be loose to a degree; and when the hair dries, the hair-curling device will loosen further.

Accordingly, the object of this invention is to solve the discussed problems of the art by providing a haircurling cushion that functions as an elastic cushion to prevent or substantially eliminate such discomfort, irritation, and malfunctioning of the hair-curling device, attendant upon use of a hair-curling device by itself and attendant upon use of a hair-curling device with prior hair-curling cushions.

This object and other objects of the invention should be discerned and appreciated by the detailed specification taken in conjunction with the drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to similar elements throughout the several views, in which:

FIG. 1 is a view of the hair-curling cushion utilized with a roller;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view, partly in section, of the hair-curling cushion shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the hair-curling cushion utilized with a pincurl clip.

In FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawings, reference numeral 1 refers to the hair-curling cushion made of polyurethane or other suitable material. Hair-curling cushion 1 is of rectangular configuration, but a slit 3 formed therethrough, as shown, and has sufficient thickness of material to provide the required cushioning function.

In FIG. 3 of the drawings, reference numeral 5 refers to the hair-curling cushion made of polyurethane or other suitable material. Hair-curling cushion 5 is of rectangular configuration, has a slit 7, and has sufiicient thickness of material to provide the required cushioning function.

Of particular significance is the position of the slits 3 and 7 of their respective hair-curling cushions 1 and 5, and as will be evident from the discussion of how the invention is utilized.

The female inserts a strand 9 of her hair, to which water or hair-setting solution has been applied previously, through the longitudinal slit 3. This strand 9 is then tightly wound upon roller 11 and then fastened. The offset longitudinal slit 3, the choice of material for haircurling cushion 1 and its thickness contribute to the successful utilization of the roller 11 and its intended function. Slit 3 permits roller 11 having the strand 9 wound thereon to be centrally disposed on the haircurling cushion 1 without any likelihood that roller 11 will pull through slit 3, and the choice of material and its thickness of hair-curling cushion 1 function as a cushion to obviate roller 11 from impinging and embedding in the females scalp. Such choice of material and thickness further function to permit absorption of any excess of water or solution applied to strand 9. This mopping up is helpful in preventing scalp irritation when a hair-setting solution having irritating chemicals is used. The offset location of longitudinal slit 3 on haircurling cushion 1, and the choice and thickness of material, further allow strand 9 to be tightly wound on roller 11, and whereby the resilient material of the haircurling cushion 1 in the region of the roller 11 is compressed and deformed. Normally the drying hair strand 9 would loosen or otherwise relieve the desirable tension imparted to the strand 9 wound on roller 11 and thereby dissipating the curling effect that such tensile strand 9 would be constrained to assume. However, this described phenomenon of slackness in and from the drying hair strand 9 does not occur when a hair-curling cushion 1 is interposed between the scalp and the roller 11 for the reason that the compressed and deformed resilient material of the hair-curling aid 1 in the region of roller 11 relieves itself from such deformation and at the same time accommodates such slackness in the drying hair strand 9.

Shown in FIG. 3 of the drawings are the hair-curling cushion 5 and curled strand 9 of hair fastened by the pincurl clip 13. Water or hair-dressing solution having been applied previously to the hair strand 9, same is inserted through the offset longitudinal slit 7, then strand 9 is tightly curled and wound on a finger, and then the curled part of strand 9 is then fastened to the haircurling cushion 5 by appropriate attachment of pincurl clip 13.

The same functional attributes of offset longitudinal slit 3 of hair-curling cushion 1, choice of material and thickness discussed with reference to the strand 9 wound on roller 11 apply as well to the functional attributes of offset longitudinal slit 7 of hair-curling cushion 5, choice of material and thickness resulting from strand 9 tightly Having thusly described my invention, 1 claim: 1. A hair curling device of the type in which a strand of hair coiled upon itself, fastened, and coated with a hair curling solution is left so coiled upon the head to dry including sleeping hours when the head may rest upon such coils which comprises:

(a) a pad of freely flexible, softly resilient, solutionabsorbent material having a slit therethrough from face to face solely in the interior of the face area thereof and with the ends of the slit closed and terminating entirely within the body of the pad, said slit extending along and adjacent to but spaced from one edge or the pad and providing a relative- 1y wide face area, at the other side of the slit from said one edge, that is Wide enough to cover a coil of a strand of hair which has been passed through said slit, coiled and disposed against such relatively Wide face area at one side of the said slit and there secured in coiled condition by suitable fastening means,

(b) the walls of said slit, by the resiliency of said material, gripping the strand of hair that passes through the slit sufiiciently to resist substantial pulls on the strand tending to uncoil it and pull the coil of the strand over upon the slit,

(0) said pad having a thickness adequate to fully cushion the coil of the strand and its fastening means against pressure on the head of the user when 3 the user sleeps with her head on the pad, coil and any fastening means, and also adequate to absorb a substantial amount of curling solution from the strand of hair during drying of the strand, thereby accelerating the drying operation, (d) the material of the pad at both sides of the slit 5 being flexible and enabling it to be easily bent up and provide space for the application of additional pads to other strands of hair. 2. The device according to claim 1, and means for holding the coil of a strand of hair against uncoiling 10 While the coil is disposed against the said relatively Wide face area at one side of the slit.

3. The device according to claim 1 in which the pad material is polyurethane.

References Cited 5/1954 Great Britain.

R. L. FRINKS, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A HAIR CURLING DEVICE OF THE TYPE IN WHICH A STRAND OF HAIR COILED UPON ITSELF, FASTENED, AND COATED WITH A HAIR CURLING SOLUTION IS LEFT SO COILED UPON THE HEAD TO DRY INCLUDING SLEEPING HOURS WHEN THE HEAD MAY REST UPON SUCH COILS WHICH COMPRISES: (A) A PAD OF FREELY FLEXIBLE, SOFTLY RESILIENT, SOLUTIONABSORBENT MATERIAL HAVING A SLIT THERETHROUGH FROM FACE TO FACE SOLELY IN THE INTERIOR OF THE FACE AREA THEREOF AND WITH THE ENDS OF THE SLIT CLOSED AND TERMINATING ENTIRELY WITHIN THE BODY OF THE PAD, SAID SLIT EXTENDING ALONG AND ADJACENT TO BUT SPACED FROM ONE EDGE OF THE PAD AND PROVIDING A RELATIVELY WIDE FACE AREA, AT THE OTHER SIDE OF THE SLIT FROM SAID ONE EDGE, THAT IS WIDE ENOUGH TO COVER A COIL OF A STRAND OF HAIR WHICH HAS BEEN PASSED THROUGH SAID SLIT, COILED AND DISPOSED AGAINST SUCH RELATIVELY WIDE FACE AREA AT ONE SIDE OF THE SAID SLIT AND THERE SECURED IN COILED CONDITION BY SUITABLE FASTENING MEANS, (B) THE WALLS OF SAID SLIT, BY THE RESILIENCY OF SAID MATERIAL, GRIPPING THE STRAND OF HAIR THAT PASSES THROUGH THE SLIT SUFFICIENTLY TO RESIST SUBSTANTIAL PULLS ON THE STRAND TENDING TO UNCOIL IT AND PULL THE COIL OF THE STRAND OVER UPON THE SLIT, (C) SAID PAD HAVING A THICKNESS ADEQUATE TO FULLY CUSHION THE COIL OF THE STRAND AND ITS FASTENING MEANS AGAINST PRESSURE ON THE HEAD OF THE USER WHEN THE USER SLEEPS WITH HER HEAD ON THE PAD, COIL AND ANY FASTENING MEANS, AND ALSO ADEQUATE TO ABSORB A SUBSTANTIAL AMOUNT OF CURLING SOLUTION FROM THE STRAND OF HAIR DURING DRYING OF THE STRAND, THEREBY ACCELERATING THE DRYING OPERATION, (D) THE MATERIAL OF THE PAD AT BOTH SIDES OF THE SLIT BEING FLEXIBLE AND ENABLING IT TO BE EASILY BENT UP AND PROVIDE SPACE FOR THE APPLICATION OF ADDITIONAL PADS TO OTHER STRANDS OF HAIR. 